Productive Silence
[Subscribers received this post on December 30, 2021.]
Where did 2021 go?! My apologies for not sending out a new newsletter this year. After drafting a sequel to Lords of Deception (LOD) during COVID last year, I drafted a sequel to that sequel this year. So now LOD2 and LOD3 are in the pipeline! But I also took time off for other projects.
Here's what I've been up to, and what is coming in 2022. And don't miss the 50% off discount code below!
LOD2 and LOD3
Last October I gave an update on LOD2. I finished that draft by the end of the year and just kept going, rolling into LOD3. As of yesterday, both drafts are done! I think they will be solid sequels to LOD, but next steps are self-editing, then beta readers, then professional editing. So earliest publication for LOD2 is probably late 2022. Will keep you posted.
Oh, you want to know something about these books, eh? LOD2 picks up right where LOD left off, and LOD3 does the same. The books track the rise of Candlestone, the collapse of Donovan, and the Rugen invasion. Beyond that, I don't want to talk too much to avoid spoilers, especially if you've not read LOD1 yet (and why haven't you?!).
I plan to release the LOD2 title and cover during spring/summer next year.
Other Projects: Board Games
As I mentioned, I worked on other stuff to give me a break from writing two books. This included making board games and claymation movies with my kids. Board games have enjoyed a bit of a renaissance during the depths of the pandemic.
One game was a cross between two of our favorite games, Risk and Catan. This let us mix the military and economic decision-making that these games are individually known for. We added two continents (Antarctica and Pacific Islands) and made our own resource cards (Catan's, plus fish and gold).
Another game was an RPG using a grid map with different terrain (forest, cave, canyon, lake, volcano, etc.) and player/enemy pieces made of baked modeling clay. These "slimes" are a throwback to the Dragon Warrior Nintendo game from the late 1980s.
Designing physical games was fun. It also got me thinking more about a LOD board game, using the map of Pemonia as the board. It's always been in the back of my mind, so I took notes on game mechanics that I might use later for a Kickstarter or something.
Other Projects: NFTs
Unless you've been living under a rock (possible during COVID), you've probably heard about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as part of the surging interest in the cryptoeconomy. I spent some time researching blockchain technology and experimenting with making art NFTs, with an eye toward potentially building some of the Earthpillar world in this space. Nothing solid yet, but just developing some ideas.
Short Stories
As some of you may have noticed, I dropped the ball on releasing two short stories that I intended to publish by late 2020: Arcodum and The Feuding Tower. You can read a bit about them on the Half-Tales page of the Earthpillar website.
They are ready and waiting, but, like many things, COVID derailed them and I never followed up to push them out the door. So I will publish those in 2022, and you'll hear about it first in this newsletter.
New Year's Sale
Use discount code “[for Subscribers only]” at Gumroad to receive 50% off all e-books and autographed paperbacks and hardbacks.
Only subscribers like you receive these discounts. Thank you for your interest in my Earthpillar world.
Here's to a great 2022! Hopefully things continue to improve globally. In addition to releasing the two short stories, I aim to get back into providing regular (at least quarterly) updates on what is new in Earthpillar.
Thanks for reading!
-Chris